Sign-In
Cart
It's All in the Delivery: Pregnancy in American Film and Television Comedy
Paperback
TelevisionFilm StudiesGeneral Gender Studies
ISBN13: 9781477330449
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: Dec 3 2024
Pages: 248
Weight: 0.75
Height: 0.87 Width: 5.91 Depth: 8.90
Language: English
How changing depictions of pregnancy in comedy from the start of the twentieth century to the present show an evolution in attitudes toward women's reproductive roles and rights.
Some of the most groundbreaking moments in American film and TV comedy have centered on pregnancy, from Lucille Ball's real-life pregnancy on I Love Lucy, to the abortion plot on Maude; Murphy Brown's controversial single motherhood; Arnold Schwarzenegger's pregnancy in Junior; or the third-trimester stand-up special Ali Wong: Baby Cobra.
In the first book-length study of pregnancy in popular comedy, Victoria Sturtevant examines the slow evolution of pregnancy tropes during the years of the Production Code; the sexual revolution and changing norms around nonmarital pregnancy in the 1960s and '70s; and the emphasis on biological clocks, infertility, adoption, and abortion from the 1980s to now.
Across this history, popular media have offered polite evasions and sentimentality instead of real candor about the physical and social complexities of pregnancy. But comedy has often led the way in puncturing these clichés, pointing an irreverent and satiric lens at the messy and sometimes absurd work of gestation. Ultimately, Sturtevant argues that comedy can reveal the distortions and lies that treat pregnancy as simple and natural women's work, misrepresentations that rest at the heart of contemporary attacks on reproductive rights in the US.
1 different editions
Also available
It's All in the Delivery: Pregnancy in American Film and Television Comedy
Sturtevant, Victoria
Hardcover
Also from
Sturtevant, Victoria
It's All in the Delivery: Pregnancy in American Film and Television Comedy
Sturtevant, Victoria
Hardcover
Forest Community Connections: Implications for Research, Management, and Governance
Sturtevant, Victoria
Donoghue, Ellen
Paperback
Forest Community Connections: Implications for Research, Management, and Governance
Donoghue, Ellen
Sturtevant, Victoria
Hardcover
Also in
Film Studies
Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
Napier, S.
Paperback
Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way Into Our Hearts
Egner, Jeremy
Hardcover
Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood's First Stuntwoman
O'Meara, Mallory
Hardcover
Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets
Anger, Kenneth
Paperback
The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook: 50+ Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Japanese Animated Films
Yun, Jessica
Hardcover
Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Brooks, Dan
Crouse, Megan
Richau, Amy
Hardcover
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Station Wagon and Griswold Family Tree: With Sound!
Running Press
Paperback
Studio Ghibli Bento Cookbook: Unofficial Recipes Inspired by Spirited Away, Ponyo, and More!
Rossi, Barbara
Azuki
Hardcover
Disney Dreams Collection Thomas Kinkade Studios Disney Princess Coloring Book
Kinkade, Thomas
Paperback
Godzilla: The Encyclopedia: Shinji Nishikawa Unravels the Depths of Godzilla
Nishikawa Shinji
Paperback
Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-Selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film
Gilbert, Julie
Hardcover
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Official Cookbook: Recipes from the Four Nations
Dorsey, Jenny
Hardcover
Women's Sport and Spectacle: Gendered Television Coverage and the Olympic Games
Daddario, Gina
Hardcover
Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know about the Films You're Too Scared to Watch
Hughes, Emily C.
Paperback
Star Wars Dad Jokes: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away . . . .
Knox, Kelly
Hardcover
House of Psychotic Women: Expanded Edition: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films
Janisse, Kier-La
Paperback
Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema
Gardner, Caden
Maclay, Willow
Paperback
Nightmare Before Christmas: The Tiny Book of Jack Skellington
Insight Editions
Vitale, Brooke
Hardcover
Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir (Revised and Expanded Edition)
Muller, Eddie
Hardcover
Harry Potter: Make Your Own Chocolate Frogs: Silicone Chocolate Mold and Gift Box Set
Insight Editions
Paperback
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride
Elwes, Cary
Layden, Joe
Paperback
Studio Ghibli Origami: Unofficial Papercraft Projects to Create Totoro, Ponyo, Jiji, and More!
Editions, Insight
Paperback
Ghibliotheque: The Unofficial Guide to the Movies of Studio Ghibli
Cunningham, Jake
Leader, Michael
Hardcover
Harry Potter: Gryffindor House Pride: The Official Coloring Book: (Gifts Books for Harry Potter Fans, Adult Coloring Books)
Insight Editions
Paperback
Disney Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas Glow-In-The-Dark Coloring Book
Editors of Thunder Bay Press
Paperback
Harry Potter: Slytherin House Pride: The Official Coloring Book: (Gifts Books for Harry Potter Fans, Adult Coloring Books)
Insight Editions
Paperback
Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film
Duralde, Alonso
Hardcover
Star Wars: The Tiny Book of Jedi (Tiny Book): Wisdom from the Light Side of the Force
Bende, S. T.
Hardcover
An Unofficial Guide to the World of Studio Ghibli Updated Edition
Cunningham, Jake
Leader, Michael
Hardcover
The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook: 50+ Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Japanese Animated Films
Yun, Jessica
Paperback
Harry Potter Watercolor Magic: 32 Step-By-Step Enchanting Projects (Harry Potter Crafts, Gifts for Harry Potter Fans)
Audoire, Tugce
Paperback
Harry Potter: Hufflepuff House Pride: The Official Coloring Book: (Gifts Books for Harry Potter Fans, Adult Coloring Books)
Insight Editions
Paperback
You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!: Life Lessons from the Movie A Christmas Story
Schultze, Quentin
Paperback
Star Wars: The Mini Book of Lightsabers: (Lightsaber Collection, Lightsaber Guide, Gifts for Star Wars Fans)
Insight Editions
Hardcover
Shemp!: The Biography of the Three Stooges' Shemp Howard, the Face of Film Comedy
Kearns, Burt
Hardcover
After Disney: Toil, Trouble, and the Transformation of America's Favorite Media Company
O'Brien, Neil
Paperback
Vader's Little Princess: (Star Wars Kids Book, Star Wars Children's Book, Geek Dad Books)
Brown, Jeffrey
Hardcover
Harry Potter: Hagrid with Harry's Birthday Cake ("You're a Wizard, Harry"): With Sound!
Lemke, Donald
Paperback
The de Palma Decade: Redefining Cinema with Doubles, Voyeurs, and Psychic Teens
Bouzereau, Laurent
Hardcover
The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic
de Visé, Daniel
Hardcover
Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Bestiary: A Definitive Guide to the Creatures of the Goblin King's Realm
Bende, S. T.
Hardcover
Disney Frozen: The Official Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through Arendelle
Bende, S. T.
Danielsen, Daytona
Hardcover
The Rocky Horror Cookbook: 50 Savory, Sweet, and Seductive Recipes from the Cult Musical [Officially Licensed]
Laidlaw, Kim
Hardcover
Harry Potter: Make Your Own Chocolate Owls: Silicone Chocolate Mold and Gift Box Set
Insight Editions
Paperback
Brain Games - Horror Movies Word Search Puzzles: Do You Dare to Solve These 84 Puzzles?
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film - Updated Edition
Clover, Carol J.
Paperback
The Magic of Minalima: Celebrating the Graphic Design Studio Behind the Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Films
Minalima
Denton, Nell
Hardcover
Star Wars: The Ultimate Cookbook: The Official Guide to Cooking Your Way Through the Galaxy
Fujikawa, Jenn
Sumerak, Marc
Hardcover